Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 03/2013

The Lancang-Mekong River Basin: Reflections on cooperation mechanisms pertaining to a shared watercourse

Apichai Sunchindah

February 2013

Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies

Abstract

The ambitious development plans for the Lancang-Mekong River Basin (LMRB) could have serious environmental, social, cultural and even geopolitical ramifications that could in turn destabilise the Mekong Subregion (MS). On the premise that frameworks for regional cooperation offer a viable route through which to manage such complex issues in a sustainable and mutually satisfactory manner, this NTS Policy Brief discusses existing and potential arrangements, elaborating on how they can leverage on each other's strengths to contribute to durable cooperation and peace.